EZ Gift Picks: For the Sports Fan

Peter Muggeridge | December 1st, 2015

Like many a sports-obsessed Canadian kid, the holidays of my youth were easily the high point of the year: long days and late nights playing hockey on the outdoor rink, watching the World Junior championship and college football bowl games and looking forward with great anticipation to the bounty of sports-related gifts under the Christmas tree.

Whether it was a new baseball glove, the latest skates, a table-top hockey game, a magazine subscription, or a favourite team sweater, my parents always gave one gift that appeased my thirst for all things sport.

For many, even as we age, this love of sports never wanes. So, if you have an incurable sports fanatic like me on your list, here are some gift suggestions that should appeal to any taste.

Gifts for the hockey fan

As with every Christmas season, there a dozens of new hockey books on the shelves. Try Ron Maclean’s look at the nerve centre of the sport in Hockey Towns: Untold Stories from the Heart of Canada; Dan Robson’s tribute to the recently deceased coaching legend Pat Quinn in Quinn: The Life Of A Hockey Legend; Matthew Dibiase’s celebration and ranking of the greatest hockey coaches ever in Bench Bosses: The NHL’s Coaching Elite; or Stephen Cole’s look at the madness of hockey’s disco era in Hockey Night Fever: Mullets, Mayhem And The Game’s Coming Of Age In The 1970s.
If your sports fan isn’t much of a reader, you really can’t go wrong with this Montreal Canadiens Outdoor Classic toque – unless, of course, he’s a Leaf fan.

NEXT: Gifts for the baseball fan

Gifts for the baseball fan:

The success of the Toronto Blue Jays last year has rekindled interest in baseball across the country. Relive the big moments of the Blue Jays’ superb year with Andrew Podnieks’ Canada’s Team – The Toronto Blue Jays.
Even better, give your Blue Jays buff a chance to see the team perform in person, with a 20-ticket flex pack.

NEXT: Gifts for the golf fan

Gifts for the golf fan:

To assist golfers in their interminable quest to perfect their game, give the duffer on your list the timeless classic: Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.
Once they’ve got their swing working, why not book him or her a golf getaway and play at some of Canada’s top golf courses, out west, in Niagara or on Prince Edward island.

NEXT: Gifts for the football fan

Gifts for the football fan

While this isn’t a recent release, nostalgic gridiron fans will love When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss’ excellent biography of Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers.
Once they’ve read the book, they’ll definitely be in the mood some smash-mouth football. The next best thing to playing a real game is the Madden NFL16 video game. As an added benefit, once you’ve got the game, the grandkids will beat a path to your door.

Next: Gifts for the charitable fan

Gifts for the charitable fan

A perfect present for the holidays is giving underprivileged children the chance to play hockey, or any sport for that matter. Make a donation in the name of your sports fan to Jumpstart (backed by Canadian Tire) that aims to get every kid a chance to play sports. For $200, Jumpstart will register an underprivileged child in hockey, for $125 a child will be signed up for dance and $100 gives a child the chance to play soccer.
Or, you can also make a donation to Right to Play Canada, another worthy group that transforms the lives of children through the power of play.